“If you do so, my client will cooperate in any way he is capable to help find the killer of his friend, Geri Guzman. Of course, out of pride and conceit, you may choose to act differently. You may choose to continue to wrongly hold Mr. Bailey. You have that right, at least for a short time, and even with a complete lack of evidence. If you choose that path, I promise you I will be in front of a judge before another hour has past. You should believe I can, and will, do what I say. I will secure my client’s immediate release, and then, I will sue this department, this city and every official involved in this travesty for enormous sums of money. And, I will be successful – have no doubt.” Zhou Li looked at the watch on her wrist. “You have ten minutes to make your choice.” She bowed again and walked to her seat. She sat in the hard plastic chair and calmly closed her eyes.
Three minutes later, there was a knock on the door. A uniformed officer brought a closed file folder to Madame Zhou. She thanked him politely and opened the file. She scanned it quickly and handed it across the table to Reightman. “As I anticipated, Mr. Bailey has a firmly established alibi, and this report details and confirms how he spent his time last evening before discovering Geraldo Guzman.”
As soon as Zhou Li finished speaking, the lights on the observation room were turned on and Reightman could clearly see Chief Kelly and one of the assistant district attorneys through the no longer reflective glass. She felt sick to her stomach as she watched the Chief leave the observation room, followed by the ADA. A moment later the interview room door opened and they entered the room. “Mr. Bailey, you’re free to go," the Chief informed the young man. “Detective Jackson will escort you to get your belongings.”
Kelly turned and left the room without once looking at Reightman or acknowledging her presence in any way. The ADA left as well. Jackson gathered up the empty water bottles and put them in the corner wastebasket.
She watched Toby embrace Madame Zhou Li, while the old lady gently patted him on the back. Wiping away his remaining tears, Toby left the room with Jackson.
Reightman approached the small, old, and very shrewd woman. “Congratulations, Madame.”
Zhou radiated extreme disapproval. “Detective, we both know there are no congratulations warranted. My client is free, that is true. But so is the person who committed this terrible act. A man is dead and there is much work to do to see justice served. As I have promised, we will cooperate fully and if we work together, we will prevail. Of that, I am sure.” She crossed to the table and began to gather her belongings. Before putting a single item back into her bag, she dug down to the bottom and retrieved the sticky red cough drop. She placed it in the exact center of the table.
Zhou picked up the umbrella, the rain hat, the ring of keys, the green tea, and the box of tissue, her cell phone with the Hello Kitty case, her notebook and the fountain pen. She placed each item carefully down into the bag, each in its own place. She opened the enameled card case and removed a single engraved card and placed it next to the cough drop. She snapped the card case shut and placed it in the bag, before closing the vintage Kelly and lifting it with both of her small hands. The tiny lady walked with great dignity to the door, then turned and lifted a hand. “I will expect your call tomorrow, Detective.” Walking carefully and with a perfectly straight spine, she left the room.
Melba Reightman was immobile. It had been a very bad day, perhaps the worst ever. She was exhausted and hot and felt old, tired and pretty damned useless. She still had to face Chief Kelly and her feet hurt. She sighed, and it felt good. She walked to the table and picked up Zhou’s card and tucked it in her pocket. She picked up her yellow legal pad and the cheap, ratty-ended ball point and crammed them into her purse. Then, recalling the old woman’s dignified exit, she straightened her own spine and marched out to pay the piper.
She left the cough drop sitting on the table, slightly damp and all alone. She’d bet Sam it would still be there tomorrow. She’d win.
CHAPTER THREE
IF HE HAD any energy, Toby would have sprinted up the stairs. Instead he trudged up them, putting one foot in front of the other until he reached the top. For a moment, he regretted that he lived on the third floor, until he remembered that living at the top of the building gave him a pretty decent view, and a lot of privacy. He unlocked the door and dropped his keys on the small entry table. Before he went any further, he toed off the too big shoes they’d loaned him at the station. He’d carry them outside later. For now, he just wanted them off his feet. He locked the door and secured the safety chain, then made his way through the living area and into the small modern kitchen. He grabbed a handful of vitamins and a couple of extra strength aspirin and dry swallowed them. He filled a glass of water from the water dispenser and downed it. He filled the glass again, and finished that as well. Next, he pulled off his shirt, removed his belt and set it on the counter, and quickly took off his slacks and underwear. He bagged all the discarded clothes in a white plastic trash bag, then knotted the bag and sat it by the stainless trashcan. He stood naked in the kitchen and took several deep, cleansing breaths. He then walked directly to the bathroom and turned on the shower, adjusting the water until it was very hot. When steam started to filled the shower, he stepped in.
He scrubbed his body twice, and started on his hair. He worked the herbal scented shampoo into lather, then rinsed and shampooed it again. Once he finished, he sat on the small wooden bench and started in on his feet. They were filthy, but at least the pink stains from the blood were almost gone. After they were clean, he stood up and turned off the water. He squeezed the water out of his hair and, reaching over the door, he grabbed the plush towel off the hook and dried off.
He stepped out of the shower and moved to the sink. He wiped the steam off the mirror and regarded his reflection. He didn’t look much different than he usually did. More tired perhaps, and his hair was standing on end. He grabbed a comb and ran it through the wet strands a couple of times, before wrapping the towel around his waist and walking into the bedroom. He pulled back the drapes and looked out over the city. In the darkening evening light, he watched a couple of joggers pound their way down the street. He wasn’t worried about being seen – people almost never looked up. They didn’t have much experience with danger coming from above. When the joggers rounded the corner, he moved his gaze to the group of buildings across the street, until it rested on his spa. He liked living across the street. If he worked late or if something came up, he was just a few steps away. The cop cars were gone, but he knew there’d be a policeman or two stationed inside the door. He’d deal with everything that represented tomorrow. He was too tired to think about it anymore tonight.
He took one last, lingering look at the street below and walked to the bed. He untied the towel and let it drop to the floor. He folded down the comforter and pulled back the sheets, then climbed in and closed his eyes. He was home, and safe. Soon, he started to cry, and great aching sobs racked his chest. He hurt like never before. He cried for Geri, and he cried for himself. He hugged a pillow tightly to his chest, willing the tears to stop. Eventually, his breathing slowed, and he slept, and dreamed.
Toby found himself back in his old room at Grams’ house, grabbing for the ringing phone.
“I’m off work today. You want to go to the pool later?” Geri asked over the cell. “Weather’s supposed to be pretty good.”
The ceiling in the room melted away, showing him the promised blue skies. As he looked up, the sky vanished and the ceiling was once more overhead.
“No, I can’t. I promised Grams I’d help her around the house and the yard today. She has a list a mile and a half long!”
“Need some help?”
“Why the heck would you want to help with my chores? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“Not really. I don’t mind helping.”
Toby thought about the day ahead and how much he’d enjoy his friend’s company. “Sure, that’d be great! I bet Grams would even feed us dinner…
maybe even fried chicken.”
“You’d introduce me to your Grandmother?”
“Of course! She loves feeding strays!” Toby‘s room transformed into the kitchen as the phone disappeared from his hand.
“Hey, old lady! What’s cooking?”
“Ain’t nothing cooking, and there isn’t going be if you don’t watch your smart mouth!” Even though she was facing the sink snapping pole beans into a colander, Toby could tell by her voice she was smiling. She complained about his smart-alec sass, but he knew she liked the banter. It reminded her of his grandfather, who’d dished out loving, fun-filled grief every minute of the day. “Pour yourself a bowl of cereal and take a seat,” she instructed. “We can talk about what needs to get done today.”
Before he knew it, Toby was seated on top of the counter with a bowl of cereal in his hands. They were just the way he liked them – liberally coated with sugar. He crunched down the cornflakes. Grams turned around from the sink and gave him her special look. “When I said for you to take a seat, I didn’t mean for you to sit your fanny on my clean countertops. Now get on down from there!”
Toby kept his perch and swung his legs, letting the back of his sneakers hit the fronts of the cabinets. His heels made a sound like thunder. Grams filled a glass of milk and flew to the counter, settling herself down gently. She swung her feet and the thunder grew louder. She tilted back the milk and drank it down. It took her a couple of tries. Then she sat the glass down and smiled a milk mustache smile.
“I got some good news,” he said from his place up on the counter.
“Oh, you do?”
“Yep. I rounded us up an additional pair of hands for the day.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, ma’am. Friend of mine named Geri. He’s nice. Said he’d be happy to help us out for the right fee.”
“Oh he did, did he?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And just what might that fee be, Toby?”
“Dinner.”
“Well, that sounds more than fair. We’ve got plenty of pole beans.”
“Yeah, you know I love those! There’s only one catch.”
“I figured there would be. With you, there ‘bout always is. What might this catch involve?
“Well, you see, I’m sure he’ll like the beans a lot. But the thing is, he only eats one kind of meat.” She raised her eyebrows, but motioned for him to continue. “It is because of some really rare medical condition.” She waited. “He can only eat fried chicken.”
With a flash of light she was down off the counter. “Toby H. Bailey! You know I don’t have time to be making fried chicken today. We’ve got a ton of yardwork to get done!”
Toby smiled down at her. “He’ll be a good worker Grams! That’ll free you up from most of the hard stuff. And about that ‘Toby H. Bailey’ thing, you know I don’t have a middle name.”
“You do now! The ‘H’ is for hellion!
That set them both to laughing. “So is it a deal?” he wheedled.
“We’ll see how it goes and how tired I’m feeling. Your friend is more than welcome to stay for dinner, especially if he’s helping with chores. However, I won’t be making any promises about what I might be dishing up, other than that it’ll taste good. Now, get yourself down off that cabinet so you can get started on the first of your many chores for today.”
“What might that be?” he hopped down.
“Well, you’re going to get down and retrieve a rag and the cleaning spray from under the sink. Then you are going to get our heel marks off those cabinet fronts.”
Geri appeared out of nowhere, and he and Grams exchanged a series of small, formal bows – almost like a dance. Grams waved her arms and he and Geri were weeding flower beds which changed into vegetable gardens. The screen flew off the door, headed their way. Toby reached out a hand and grabbed it, and placed it back where it belonged. Geri fetched a garden hose, and soon Toby was wet with the water and covered in soapy lather. Geri was wet as well and hollering like it was the best thing ever. They cut the lawn, taking turns with the old push mower. They were hot and sweaty and Toby felt happier than he ever had, even though he knew he was dreaming about doing chores. They drank from a huge glass of cold sweet tea, holding each other high in the air so they could reach the straw. Then instantly, they were cleaned and scrubbed and sitting at the big kitchen table with all kinds of good things. There was a big bowl of beans, a fresh cool cucumber and tomato salad, biscuits, and in the place of honor, a big platter of crispy chicken.
“Told ya!” Toby cried out in happiness as he danced with Grams, and then with Geri around the big table. He hugged his Grams and whispered, “You’re the best.”
They all laughed and joked, and wore funny hats, like it was someone’s birthday. “He’s a nice boy,” Grams informed him as she pointed to Geri, “And he’s the first guest you’ve ever brought home.”
“Man-oh-man! This was the best dinner ever!” Toby stretched and touched the ceiling, which was now the evening sky.
“Yes, ma’am. It was great, Mrs. Bailey.” Geri gave Grams a courtly bow and she curtsied in return. “I’ve never had anything as good as that chicken. And the cobbler was terrific! If I had to choose a last meal, this is what it would be.” Geri laughed in delight at the thought of having a last meal, when he had his whole life ahead of him.
Grams shared his laughter, and then looked at the giant clock on the wall. “My goodness, look at the time!” She frowned and all three of them looked at the giant clock. Its hands went round and round, spinning faster with each turn. Toby desperately wanted to stop it, but he didn’t know how. He knew that if the clock kept turning, something bad would happen. “Well, it’s getting late boys, and I’m sure we are all tired.” Grams turned to Tony and waved her towel. “Toby, why don’t run up and get Geri’s bag and then you can walk him out?”
“Sure thing.” Toby ran down the hall to retrieve Geri’s things and spied on them through the walls. He saw Geri hold out his hand to shake with Grams. “Thanks again for dinner, Mrs. Bailey.” Grams took his hand in both of hers. “You’re welcome, Geri. I’m glad Toby has a good friend like you – one that’ll do the chores and all the things that need to be done.” As Toby watched, Grams grew taller until she almost didn’t fit in the room. She leaned down over Geri and picked him up in her hand, lifting him up until she could look him in the eye. “Toby is my whole world, young man, and I want him to be happy. He laughed a lot today and it did me good to hear it. As long as you stay nice and helpful, and keep making my grandson laugh, it’ll be a pleasure to have you around here anytime. Consider this your home, home, home.” She put him back on the floor, and shrunk back down to her normal size.
Toby could tell Geri felt tightness in his throat, but his friend nodded respectfully. “I’ll do my best, Mrs. Bailey.”
“I trust you will, Geri. I trust you will. I trust you. I trust you.” Toby saw the clock hands spin faster. “One more thing…”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“If I’m going to be seeing a lot of you around here, it seems best for you to call me Grams…call me Grams…call me Grams.”
The wall became solid again and Toby couldn’t see them anymore.
Soon, Toby was back with Geri’s things and they all danced in a spinning circle, until they reached they door. Grams fluttered her tea towel and Geri was borne away on the wind she made. She turned back around, and waved the towel again, and the kitchen was clean and sparkling.
“Toby, come up here with me and we’ll spin a while.”
“Sure, Grams.” Toby climbed on the carousel horse next to the one Grams rode, and they revolved around the big table.
“Your friend Geri seems very nice, Toby.”
“I think he is. He sure did like your cooking!” He grinned at her sitting high on her steed.
“Toby, I’m glad you have a good friend. I know it hasn’t always been easy for you. After your momma died, you were just the saddes
t thing. We were all devastated of course, but while your grandfather and I eventually made our peace with it, it took you a long time. I guess that’s only natural, knowing how close you two were.” Grams looked behind her and motioned to him. “Look, Toby, your mother’s here now.” Toby turned and saw his mother on another painted steed, far behind their own. Her pony was gray and black and white, instead of the beautiful colors they rode. “Smile, Toby!” she said as she pointed her camera at him. With a flash! she was gone, and Toby was very sad. The carousel stopped, and Grams climbed down, motioning for Toby to follow. He noticed the clock hands, spinning out of control. When he stepped to the ground…
….he woke.
Toby went to the bathroom and splashed water on his face. He dried it off and looked into the mirror as he tried to recall the dream. He thought back to that day, and that summer evening. In a way, what he dreamed was very like the way things had been. He remembered the talk he and Grams had that night after Geri had gone.
“Toby, today I heard you laugh more than I have heard you laugh since you’ve lived in this house. You sass me all the time, but sometimes I think that’s more for me than for you.” She paused for a minute, thinking about how she wanted to say what was on her mind. “You know how much I miss your grandfather. I hope one day you’ll find someone you would miss as much as I miss him.” She stopped his fidgety hand and gripped his fingers. “Do you understand what I am saying to you?”
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